The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace
by It's-A-Passion
Summary: At first, Nora Asher thought he was secret service, sent to protect her without her knowledge. But then he pushed her in the pool, on purpose, and she decided he couldn't possibly be secret service if he was that rude to her. And there began the complicated relationship between Nora, the president's daughter, the daughter of peace, and Mike, secret service, a soldier of war. MikeOC
1. Chapter 1

The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace

Chapter One

Admittedly, the first time Nora Asher saw him, she was a bit suspicious.

He'd been waiting to go into her first literary classics lecture. He stood out to her because he was by himself, his arms folded as he leant against the wall, a baseball cap pulled down over his short-ish brown hair and a nonchalant expression. He looked to be about twenty five or twenty six, and judging from the breadth of his shoulders, and his well-muscled physique, she'd guessed he was majoring in some sort of sport or health and fitness program.

She wasn't even sure why that drew her attention, but it did. And how could she not be suspicious, when he moved like he saw everything around him, like he was on high alert, and his eyes trained on her in a more than an 'I'm checking you out' way. When he glanced at his watch constantly, and seemed to survey everything that happened with a degree of detachment.

Nora knew how to spot the signs of a secret service agent; she'd been around them for a large part of her life. As the first month of college went by, her conversations with her parents got stonier and stonier on her side, sure as she was that her dad had assigned another security personnel to tail her. Without having even the courtesy to tell her.

All Nora wanted was normal. It didn't seem like such a difficult thing to achieve, to most people. But for the daughter of the president, normal was…out of the question. Not only was it out of the question, it was unattainable. Completely.

But that didn't stop Nora from trying. It was why she was at the pool party, despite being self-conscious because of all the eyes on her and her unusually well-exposed body. Everybody wanted to know the president's daughter, wanted to be friends with her, know her secrets, but most importantly, they wanted the spotlight that followed her around whether she wanted it to or not. And the ones who didn't, wanted to get to her dad through her.

The music thumped loudly, the beat reverberating down Nora's body, the sun heating her skin. The air was thick with laughter and yelling and girls screaming as the boys threw them in the pool. Amy nudged Nora to get her attention, then nodded in the general area of a couple guys she deemed hot. "Check out the hot guys over there."

Amy was five feet and nine inches of slender beauty, with natural honey blonde hair that was dead straight, her skin a deep caramel tan, and her eyes a brilliant blue. The green of her strapless bikini went well with the shade of her hair. Nora, by contrast, was petite and curvy, standing at five feet and two inches, with curly black hair, ivory skin and brown eyes, like her mother's. She was regretting the outlandish red ruffle bikini she had on, wishing she had bought with her the oversized sweatshirt she felt most comfortable in. The president's daughter was very rarely seen in anything that didn't cover her upper arms, stomach and legs, so while Amy flaunted her natural perfection, Nora just felt odd and out of place. She was used to people watching, but most of the time, she had more clothing on.

From the moment they'd met when they first moved in as roommates, they'd hit it off well; Amy came from a big family, so she didn't seem bothered by the fact that in Nora's world, there was no such thing as privacy, and they were never really alone. There was always someone. The security detail assigned to Nora, standing guard at their door, roaming the corridors for threats, following her everywhere. The press, always trying to get a shot of the president's precious daughter doing something wrong. The people trying to get close to Nora, to know her.

Nora was never really alone. She wished she knew what it felt like to have just a few moments to herself, without anyone knowing who she was, or who her father was. She'd like to walk down the street and not be bombarded by people wanting to talk to her, shake her hand, photograph her, hug her. She was eighteen years old, and was just thankful she'd finally made a proper friend in Amy.

Nora shrugged her shoulders, distracted. "Yeah."

Amy rolled her eyes, and nudged her again, "What's up?"

"Nothing," Nora shook her head, playing at indifference. She didn't want to be a downer when Amy was obviously looking to have some fun. She crossed her arms defensively in front of her, drawing Amy's attention.

"You look hot. Stop fidgeting," she admonished, slapping Nora's hands away from adjusting her bikini bottoms.

"That's easy for you to say," Nora complained, her face twisting into a grimace. "I'm not usually so… underdressed in public. When my dad sees the pictures, he won't be thrilled."

Because there would be pictures in the paper the next day. She couldn't see any camera flashes now, but the day was still early. Amy placed her hands on her hips in a move Nora had come to know meant business, "_When_ are you going to live a little? You're not a little girl anymore, stop worrying what your daddy will think, and start doing what you want. There's nothing wrong with swimwear, and there's nothing wrong with flaunting your God-given body, so just have fun. There's nothing wrong with an eighteen year old girl having fun."

Nora frowned. "You're right."

"Of course I am," Amy sing-songed, grinning widely.

"I can have fun."

"Yes you can," she nodded encouragingly.

"This would be the perfect time to have fun."

"Precisely!"

"Maybe I should call my dad and give him a heads up," Nora added musingly, and Amy groaned, slapping a hand across her forehead.

"And you were doing so great," she muttered. She placed her hands on Nora's shoulders, looking her in the eye, "Listen to me closely. You will have fun. You will swim. You will laugh. You will flirt. And God-be-willing, you will like it. Understand?"

Nora mock saluted her, "Yes, sir!"

"That's more like it!" She spun Nora around, and shoved her at the closest guy, "And here's your chance."

Nora stumbled into him from the force of Amy's shove, apologizing.

"It's alright," the guy said, offering her his hand. "I'm Will."

"Nora," she replied, taking his outstretched hand and shaking it.

"I know. I think everybody knows," he grinned.

"Guess I should have seen that coming, huh?"

Will shrugged, the front of his wavy, shaggy blonde-brown hair falling across his face and into his blue eyes. "Yeah, considering you're in the public eye," he laughed, his eyes quickly slipping down her body for a millisecond, before coming back to meet her eyes. "So, what are you majoring in?"

Nora raised an eyebrow, "You _don't_ know?"

"I do. Double major in political science and history. I was just being polite," he grinned easily.

Nora, oddly, wanted to do what her dad did. She wanted to make a difference, she wanted to serve the people, she wanted to better the world. She wanted to orchestrate peace. As much as she hated constantly being watched and judged, her time always being demanded for some party, some fund raiser, some gala, that she never got time for herself. As much as she despised the lack of privacy, and the fact that her security detail had to know private things about her all the time. She wanted to make a difference more.

"Well, seeing as you know everything about me, why don't we talk about you?" Nora proposed. She certainly didn't want to bore him by telling him stuff he already knew about her. She was pretty sure that that was not Amy's idea of fun.

He nodded, "Well, I have an older brother and a younger brother and sister. My oldest brother is…"

Nora tried to pay attention. She really did. But for some reason, her eyes kept wanting to drift to his left, wanting to look past Will when she really should be paying attention to him. For ten minutes, she nodded like she was listening, smiling and adding in a few 'hmms' and 'yeahs?', but instead, her mind was trying to stop her from looking over to his left to see what had caught her attention. And then she couldn't stand it anymore. She looked as subtly as she could, before bringing her gaze back to Will.

It was _him_. The guy who she believed was secret service, sent by her dad to watch her without her knowing. He wasn't doing a good job; she'd pegged him from the get-go. He stood beside two other guys, who were chatting easily, every now and then turning to him and asking his opinion. His dark blue singlet fit him perfectly, displaying the muscles of his arms and the lean length of his torso. His eyes seemed to systematically scan the crowd, but it was so very subtle. His eyes landed on her, and for a second, surprise flitted across his features as he took her in, bikini and all. But then it disappeared less than half a second later, and his face was relaxed again.

And suddenly, she was angry and irritated. At her dad and _him_. She could look after herself. She'd been here a whole month and no one had attacked her, no one had threatened her life. It was almost like she was normal, except for the three man entourage that followed her every movement, who carried at least two guns each and were trained to take down an attacker. Nora was certain her parents were completely overreacting at the level of danger involved. She had enough men to protect her here, she didn't need anymore. But if her parents were going to assign someone else to her, she had a right to know about it. That was what made her the maddest – that they hadn't told her.

Why wouldn't they have told her?

She threw a glare at him, her jaw tensing.

Will cleared his throat, "I'm boring you, aren't I?"

Nora jumped, almost having forgotten he was there in the first place. "No," she said quickly, looking up at him, removing the glare from her face. "No. I'm just…incredibly thirsty."

"Would you like me to get you something, then?" He offered eagerly.

Nora smiled at him, "That would be lovely."

He quickly headed off to get her a drink, and she turned around, searching for Amy. She was in the pool, splashing with some other people Nora didn't know, and she headed over to her, standing next to the edge.

Amy looked up at her, "Nora, this is Emma and Delaney."

They grinned and waved, and Nora waved back, "Hi. It's nice to meet you."

"And you," Delaney said, while Emma splashed water in her face, cutting her off abruptly and making her splutter.

"Gotcha!" Emma yelled jovially.

Nora smiled, and she looked behind her, not sure if she was looking for Will or for _him_. Regardless of which one she was looking for, _he_ shoved her as he walked past, not stopping and not apologizing as Nora fell into the pool.

Cool, deliciously refreshing water swallowed her, and she surfaced, looking after him in outrage. He'd just pushed her! And it was on purpose, because there was plenty of room for him to have walked past without even touching her.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked, concern tinting her voice, as she came closer to Nora.

"Yeah," she replied absentmindedly. She wiped at the chlorine in her eyes, indignantly pulling herself out of the pool and taking off after him.

"Hey!" She called, hurrying to catch him. He didn't slow down, though she was sure he knew she was chasing him. "_Hey!_"

She grabbed his arm, pulling him around to face her.

"What?" He asked, though he didn't look at all quizzical, like most people would if someone chased them. He almost looked expectant.

She frowned at him angrily, "That was rude!"

He raised an eyebrow, "What was?"

"Really?" She snapped. "You're really going to pretend you don't know what you just did. _On purpose_."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He shrugged indifferently, turning to walk away. Nora was in shock. Flabbergasted. Her surprise and confusion gave him the chance to slip further away, and she pulled herself together, catching up to him again.

He sighed, like she was bugging him when she pulled him around again. "Are you going to do this the whole way back to my dorm?"

She just gaped at him. She honestly hadn't met anyone like him before. No one spoke like that to her. No one was rude like that. And he had to know who she was, and yet he was doing it anyway. If people were mean or rude to her, it usually had to do with her dad's campaign, or judging her hair and clothes the way people did to everyone in the spotlight. She didn't know why this guy didn't like her. She'd never met him before. When she just continued to gape at him, unable to say anything, he raised his eyebrows in a fake interested way. "Well, this has been… I'd say interesting, but it really hasn't been."

"Who are you?" She questioned, shaking her head. Her shock was wearing off, and in its place was confusion.

"Mike."

Her jaw clenched, "Well, Mike, are you always such a _jerk_?"

He pretended to think about it. "Yeah."

"So it's not just me then?"

"Oh no, it's definitely you."

He grinned widely before turning around and walking off. This time, she didn't follow him. It was the first time she'd seen him grin.

Agent Todd was beside her the next second. His voice was carefully blank, "Do you want me to bring him back? Or follow him?"

"That won't be necessary, thank you Agent." She couldn't tear her confused eyes off Mike as he walked away, not looking back.

Agent Todd nodded, retreating back from the party to where he hung in the perimeter with Agents Jackson and Tyler.

Nora had been certain he was secret service. But then he'd pushed her into the pool. She made up her mind then that Mike couldn't be a part of her father's secret service. No one sent to protect her by her dad would have been so rude. And there began her dislike of Mike.

She had done absolutely nothing to him, and he had taken a dislike to her. Nora knew it wasn't right, but she felt the only way to counter that was to dislike him just as much. It was hardly diplomatic of her, but she thought she was entitled to it. He had been a jerk.

But damnit, he was a jerk with a nice smile.

**So, what did you think? I noticed that this is a very small archive, so if you are interested in reading more, please, please, leave a review so that I know you want to read it!**

**This story is set a few years before the events of the movie, and will follow the complicated and twisted relationship between Mike and Nora, leading up to and after the movie.**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace

Chapter Two

Nora just couldn't believe it.

She'd never met someone so rude. She shook her head and turned around, walking back over to the pool where Amy was waiting, "Well? What happened?"

Nora frowned, "He walked off."

Amy pulled herself out of the pool, wrapping an arm around Nora, "Don't let him get to you. He's a jerk."

A small smile lifted Nora's lips, "That's what I called him."

"A jerk?" Amy asked, a disbelieving grin stretching wide across her face. "No way. Ha! Why do I always miss seeing the mean Nora?"

Nora shook her head, "I don't know. But I think I'm going to go back to our dorm. I'm not in the partying mood."

Normally, Amy would protest. She would complain and coax Nora into staying, and Nora would normally give in. After all, it was Nora's plight for normal that made Amy try to convince her to stay in the first place. But this time, she made no arguments. "Did you want me to come with?"

Nora shook her head again, "No, you stay. Have fun for me."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay… then that I can do."

Nora grinned, grabbed her bag and pulled on the singlet and shorts she had on when they arrived. She waved to Amy as she slipped back in the pool with Emma and Delany, heading out. She walked slowly along the pavement, frowning and thinking. She didn't have to turn around to see Agents Jackson and Tyler walking side by side at a respectable distance behind her. Agent Todd walked in front of her, leading the way.

Nora watched her feet, suddenly feeling lonely. Those agents were like a barrier between her and the world, and not many people were willing to break through. Nora sighed. Her college experience wasn't turning out the way she'd hoped. No quiet goodbye, no quick exit, no private anything. The whole damn United States of America knew she was starting at college. It was stupid of her to think anything else would happen, though.

Nora's flip flops slapped against the linoleum covered stairs as she walked the three flights to hers and Amy's dorm room. Agent Todd walked in first, sweeping the room quickly with his eyes before stepping aside and letting Nora inside. He closed the door as he stepped back outside the door where he would stand until either Nora left to go somewhere else, or when his shift ended. Nora flopped down on her bed.

Their shared room was fairly big. Spacious. It was a square room, with single beds on opposite sides of the room, a bedside table each, and a desk and chair each. Amy had only just finished decorating her side of the room. On the wall her bed was pressed against were little hooks, spaced unevenly about, where all her bags hung from. Amy loved bags; the one time Nora and her had gone shopping, Amy came back with three more handbags to add to her already huge collection. There was a sale, and it seemed Amy couldn't just walk past a bag sale. Papers and unopened textbooks covered her desk, her laptop lay on the pink and yellow sheets of her bed, and every now and then there was a pile of clothing haphazardly on the ground.

Over Nora's bed stood a book case, holding her by now well-read texts books, some with sticky notes hanging out the side, her books for her literary classics lecture, including works by Jonathan Swift, Jane Austen, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, and some of her novels she bought from home. Her desk was clutter-free, her laptop sitting in the middle of the wooden surface. Sketches hung on the wall in front of her desk, some of the places she'd been and landmarks she'd liked enough to draw, or landmarks she'd like to see; the Eiffel tower, St. Paul Cathedral, St. Basil's Cathedral, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Notre Dame, Neuschwanstein, the acropolis of Greece, the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, the Great Buddha. Shirts and jeans were draped over her chair, and some were covering the red and ivory bed sheets.

Nora stared at the ceiling. She kind of regretted leaving the party now. At least, when she was at the party, there wasn't really an opportunity to be by herself, with only her thoughts. Which was all she had right now. It was ridiculous to let one guy get to her. There were always going to be people who didn't like her. She couldn't win them all over. She knew that. She just hated that she didn't know what she'd done to make him dislike her.

She sighed, sitting up, and walking over to her desk. She decided to make a start on that essay for her ancient Greek course. She switched on the radio, and got to work.

...

She worked until late afternoon. She didn't realize so much time had passed until Amy came barging into the room, a smile still on her face. Nora glanced up at her, then at the window where the sun was setting, surprising her. "Please, tell me you haven't been studying this whole time."

"Okay, I won't."

Amy groaned as she sunk down onto her bed, kicking off her shoes. "You shouldn't have left the party. We had so much fun; there was a barbeque, and we played volleyball and you should've been there. Will was wondering where you went."

"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about Will! Oh! I feel terrible! What did you tell him?" Nora grimaced, feeling bad for just leaving him there, without even an explanation as to where she went or why.

"I just said you weren't feeling well, so you went back to our dorm," Amy shrugged, "Which, was partially true."

Nora nodded, "Thanks for that."

"No problem." She pulled a piece of paper out of her bag, handing it to Nora, "He said to ask you to give him a call."

Nora's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "You're serious?" She unfolded the paper and looked at the digits there.

"Dead serious," she wiggled her eyebrows, grinning hugely. "You can thank me at your wedding for shoving you at him."

Nora rolled her eyes, "It's not like you specifically chose him. He just happened to be standing there."

"Yes, I did," she replied, frowning at Nora like she was offending her.

Nora couldn't believe Will had given her his phone number. She hadn't really been on dates, and as far as Nora could tell, dating a girl who had a father who could, literally, order a background check on him, was a big turn off. So, Nora had limited experience with these sorts of things. "I can't believe he wants me to call him."

At least she didn't offend him after all.

"And that's hard to believe because…?"

Nora looked at her, "I don't know if you've noticed, but guys aren't exactly lining up to date the daughter of the president."

"You know, I don't get why not – it's not like you're ugly," she said flippantly, pulling off her sopping wet shirt and pulling on a dry one. She left the wet one in a pile on the floor.

"Thanks," Nora said sarcastically, her eyes on the shirt. "Are you just going to leave that there?"

Amy grinned, rolling her eyes, before saying in a knowing way, "Why? Does it bother you?"

Nora folded her arms defiantly, "No."

Amy laughed, "Yes it does. Don't worry; I'll move it in a second. Now, how about dinner?"

"That sounds so good. I'm starved."

...

"What do I say?"

Amy snorted, then sobered up at the look on Nora's face. "You're serious."

"Dead serious."

"Oh," she frowned. "Okay then. Dial the number, and when he picks up the phone, tell him who you are, and that I said he wanted you to call him. So you're doing that."

"That's it?"

"Yep," she scrounged around in her bag, pulling out some gum and popping it in her mouth. She offered some to Nora, who shook her head. "The conversation will go from there."

"You're sure."

"Positive."

"Alright," her voice was not at all certain. The waitress dropped off their coffees at their table. Well, technically, Nora's wasn't a coffee. It was a double caramel hot chocolate; she didn't like coffee, but she had a major sweet tooth. They had enough time before their lecture to just talk a little, so they'd decided to stop to get a drink, and Amy had convinced her now was as good a time as any to call Will. Nora pulled out her phone, biting her lip. Glancing at the scribbled number on the creased paper, she dialed. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hello?"

For a second, Nora froze, panicking a little. She completely spaced on everything Amy just told her, and now she was sure he thought she was an idiot. But then she regained her composure, "Yeah, hi. This is Nora. Amy said you wanted me to call, so that's what I'm doing."

Amy snickered a little when she repeated exactly what she'd said to say. Nora kicked her under the table, glaring at her and mouthing for her to _pipe down_.

"Oh, Nora!" He sounded surprised. "I'm glad you called."

"You are?" She couldn't stop it from slipping out.

He laughed, "Of course." On the other end of the line, it sounded like he was shifting around, moving papers and books.

"Is this a bad time?"

"No. No, just…kind of early."

Nora glanced at her watch. 9:13."Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll call back later!"

"No! Now is good."

"Are you sure?"

Nora glanced up to find Amy's unwavering gaze on her, half-expectant, half-amused. It was off putting, and Nora flapped her hands at her to make her look away. She didn't.

"Yeah. Sure."

"Okay… well, Amy said you wanted me to call…?" She repeated.

And now it was awkward. She cringed.

"Yeah, uh…" Oh, god. What if Amy was having a go? What if he was kidding, and he didn't really want her to call, but only wanted to see if she would? That was so embarrassing. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime?"

Nora didn't say anything, just stared at the lid of her hot drink. Really, it was too hot to have gotten a hot drink. She should have gone for something cooler. Like an iced chocolate. Or a smoothie. The back of her neck felt warm, and she wished she'd brought a hair tie to pull it up with.

"Hello? Nora? You still there?"

"Yes! Sorry, what did you say?" She had heard him, but she needed more time to compose an answer. What was wrong with her? Here was a nice guy talking to her, asking her out, and she was thinking about mundane things. That wasn't normal.

She should be a nervous wreck, she should be giddy with excitement, hanging off his every word so she could relay it back to Amy and they could spend the next however long analyzing it. But she wasn't. He was nice, sure. He'd been polite to her. And he was cute, with his shaggy hair that reminded her of the ocean. But, she realized, he didn't interest her.

She didn't find him interesting. In the slightest. Right now was a good example; when he was talking, she'd allowed herself to be distracted. And his asking her out hadn't thrilled her the way she thought it should. It didn't make her nervous, mentally flipping through outfits she could wear to look her best. Yesterday, when he was talking, she'd been easily distracted as well.

By _him_. Mike. The jerk. The jerk with the outrageously hot body and gorgeous smile. The jerk with the smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. The guy who'd pushed her in the pool and then walked off like he hadn't. He, heaven forbid, interested her. Against her better judgment, for she knew he couldn't be any good to have an interest in. The past however many hours since the pool party, he was all she could think about. She couldn't understand what his problem with her was, and it was driving her crazy. She had to know. She couldn't stop thinking about it.

For Christ's sake, he'd been an ass to her, and she'd still spent more time thinking about him than she had about Will, who had been nothing but nice to her. Nice and…boring.

"I asked if maybe you'd like to go out with me. On a date," he added, clarifying.

Nora bit her lip. "Yeah. Sure. That'd be nice." She may as well. What did she have to lose? Nothing. And she may even find she does think he's interesting. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

"You mean it?" His voice was eager, and a twinge of guilt twisted at her heart. She thought maybe he liked her more than she liked him. She really hoped this date would change that.

"Yes," she said firmly. Yes. She did mean it, and she intended to give Will her full attention this time. Maybe if she did, she'd find he was more interesting than she realized. Away from possible distractions, he at least deserved her undivided attention.

"Great! How about I pick you up Friday night? Seven-ish?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Okay. See you then."

"Okay."

She hung up. It was Monday. She had four days to psyche herself up for it. And to adopt a much more positive attitude about it. She needed it, clearly. It wasn't fair of her to _have to_ psyche herself up to see him. It should just happen; she'd agreed to a date, so now she was going on one. And really, what else did she think he wanted her to call him for? To exchange fried rice recipes? She didn't think so. She didn't have to call him, but she had. Because she wanted normal. She wanted to go on a date, she wanted to fall in love with a guy. She wished that guy would be Will.

She really did.

**So what did you think?**

**Should I still continue it, or not?**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**I've started doing review replies, so they'll be at the end of each new chapter.**

**NGArmyWife: **Hi! Thanks so much for being my first reviewer for this story! I'm so stoked you're interested in reading more of this story! Thank you! Haha, I love Gerard Butler too (and consequently, this movie :D), but admittedly, I hadn't seen him in anything before this movie, so I can't say I've been a long-standing fan, unfortunately! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are still interested in reading more! Thanks again!

**Mascota: **Hi! Thanks so much for taking the time to review this for me! It means a lot to me, so thanks! Thank you, I'm glad you think this story had a good start! I was a bit unsure about it, so I'm ecstatic you'd like to know more about Mike and Nora, and Mike's relationship with the president! I hope you enjoyed this second chapter! :D


	3. Chapter 3

The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace

Chapter Three

Even after a month at the university, Nora's lectures were still filled with whispers and chattering centered on her. Honestly, she thought they would've grown bored by now. She was even bored by it.

Nora was never one of those scandalous limelighters, so she really thought they would've run out of things to say about her by now.

"So?" Amy asked as they sat down, about halfway to the back of the lecture.

Agent Todd sat two seats over from her, Agent Jackson two across from Amy, and Agent Tyler stood at the door. Nora decided to speak to her dad about decreasing their orders to stick to her like glue. Them sitting like that blocked anyone else from sitting next to her, stopped her from making friends in her other lectures. Her literary classics lecture was the only one she shared with Amy, who was majoring in drama. So in every other lecture she had, she sat by herself.

"So… we're going out Friday at seven."

"That's great!" She grinned, clearly excited for Nora.

"Yeah."

She also heard the lack of enthusiasm in Nora's voice. "Okay. What is it?"

"Nothing." Amy just looked at her. "He's nice. He is. It's just… he's kind of boring."

"Then why'd you agree to go out with him?" She frowned.

Nora frowned as well, not understanding Amy. "You don't think he deserved a chance?"

"You think he's going to get any less boring with time?"

Nora's eyebrows shot up, "I… Yes."

"Look," Amy sighed. "I'm a big believer in first connections. If I can't establish a connection with a guy, or at least find him interesting enough to try to, at the first meeting, then there's no point in going out. There's no point wasting my or his time by pretending to be interested when we're both bored out of our minds. It's not exactly a good start to a relationship, is it?"

"I guess not. But he was nice."

"Nice, like I-wanna-rip-your-clothes-off, nice, or nice like I'd-like-to-be-your-friend, nice?"

Nora looked at Agent Todd awkwardly, knowing he'd heard. Agent Todd just stared straight ahead at the front of the room, studiously ignoring her and paying attention to her at the same time. She knew this wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd signed up to be a secret service agent. Eventually, they all wanted to be on the president's detail, but they had to work their way there, sometimes from Nora, sometimes from her little brother, Connor. Either way, a babysitting gig was not what they wanted, so when they were around, Nora tried to limit the amount of girly talk she engaged in.

"Friends."

"Then tell him that."

"I think I should give him a chance first," Nora said.

"Suit yourself. I think you're wasting your time though. Clearly, there's no spark."

Nora grinned, "Duly noted."

A couple girls sat in front of them, and one turned back to look at Nora, before quickly spinning back around. She hunched over her desk, and her two friends leant closer. Nora could hear them muttering, and the sound of pages being turned on a newspaper. Her cheeks tinged pink, sure they were whispering about her. Nora stared determinedly straight ahead, not letting it get to her.

People talked about her all the time. Most didn't do it so blatantly, though.

"What have you got there?" Amy asked, reaching over them and pulling the paper out of their hands. Her eyes skimmed the paper as the girls glared venomously at her, but not saying anything. Amy glanced at Nora, before folding the paper and going to hand it back to the girls. Nora frowned, suddenly suspicious.

"Wait a sec - ,"

"There's nothing interesting," Amy said, handing it back to the middle girl.

Nora's frown deepened and she grabbed the paper before they could fully turn back around. She opened it to the first page. The head line read: PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER INVOLVED IN SECRET LOVE AFFAIR?

Underneath it was a picture of Nora and Mike. It was when she'd grabbed his arm to spin him around to look at her, at the pool party yesterday, but it looked like her hand was reaching to grab his butt. She was plastered on the front page, in her bikini, grabbing at Mike's butt, his face conveniently turned away from the camera. It wasn't a very good picture, obviously taken from a distance, and zoomed in. It was pixilated, making Mike even more obscure, but it was obvious who the girl in the bikini was. Underneath the picture was a sub headline: 'Who is the mystery guy that's got Nora all hands-y?'

"Oh. My. God." She mumbled, her face going red. This couldn't be happening. "It wasn't even like that! God I wasn't… I mean, he's such… ugh! I'd never reach for _his_ butt! God, this picture is so out of context!"

"I know," Amy said, her voice soothing as she tried to comfort Nora.

Her nose scrunched in distaste, and she scoffed, "As if I'd want to grab his butt!"

"That's not what it looks like," Mike said, his unexpected voice making her jump slightly in surprise and she turned to see him leaning forward from the row behind them, his elbows resting on his knees.

"This is a private conversation," Amy glared at him. "Back off."

He raised an eyebrow at Nora, "Is she your new spokeswoman?"

"No," Nora snapped, before Amy could retort. "She's right though, so mind your own business."

"It is my business, seeing as it's my _business_ you're trying to cop a feel of," he smirked, his eyes lingering on the picture, before leaning back and folding his arms now that he had their attention.

"As if! You and I both know that's not how it happened," Nora gritted out between clenched teeth. "And anyone who believes what they read in this article is an idiot."

He just continued to grin, "Read it. They call me a 'stud'."

"Clearly, they've never met you then," Nora snapped, turning around in her seat, and hunching over as she read it, Amy looking over her shoulder.

_The president's daughter, Nora Asher, attended a pool party yesterday, much to the delight of her cohort. Many party-goers expressed joy and exuberance at the thought of her attending. The heat of the day made it perfect for a dip in the pool, but perhaps Nora got a little too much sun. The usually somewhat demure girl was seen openly grabbing at a peer's bottom._

_Who was he? And how long had they been keeping their relationship under tabs for, that she could reach for that particular part of his anatomy? At this stage, only speculations present themselves. The reported 'stud' seen in the above photograph appears to be unsuspecting to any wandering hands, but reporters doubt he had any objections to the promiscuously exposed, bikini-clad daughter of America's current President. The general consensus from the male population present at the party is that Ms. Asher was looking 'hot'._

_Which led this reporter to wonder at the cause of this new-found self-expression. Was it just the heat of the day? Was there any intoxicating substances present? The music had been blaring loudly, so perhaps the heady rush of freedom and the college experience was just too overwhelming for her._

_Or maybe, the temptation to touch her beau in a very public and borderline-inappropriate gesture of affection was too hard to keep in anymore. Party-goers reported both individuals leaving the party early, despite the exquisite weather, perhaps implying they left together?_

_Reporters can't say for certain, but we can wonder at what a stunt like this will result in amongst the general public. Nora has been a long-standing role model for many young girls; she's always been immaculately presented, and on her best behaviour. Maybe the daughter of the president isn't so squeaky clean, after all._

_Maybe being away from her daddy, Mr. President, has given her the room to express herself. A word to the wise, Ms. Asher, if you want to get frisky with a guy, maybe you should do it in private…_

Nora finished reading the short article, muttering dismally, "My dad's going to kill me."

"Actually, I'd say he's more likely to kill the guy in the picture," she mused. "In which case, I wouldn't mind pointing out the suspect for him," she said threateningly over her shoulder. But Mike wasn't there anymore; he was back further, next to a couple other guys Nora didn't know. He didn't even look at them.

"Can you hold my bag for me while I go die of embarrassment?" Nora groaned, eyes unable to move away from the paper. Her bag vibrated against her leg, and she jumped, reaching down and pulling out her phone. A picture of her dad showed on the screen. Nora grimaced. "I can't deal with him right now."

She rejected the call. A minute later, he called back. She rejected it again, turning it off and slipping it back into her bag.

The professor walked into the room. "Good morning! Before we get started, I'm sure you've all seen the paper, and are just dying to read and or analyse it, however, this article," he held up the paper to show the class the picture, and Nora cringed, "is not, in fact, a literary classic. If anything, it's a poorly written, subjective and, uh, how did they put it…? Ah yes, 'borderline-inappropriate', article that offers nothing but a picture and some speculative rubbish to the reader. In which case, today's lecture will not be spent discussing the possible relationship between Ms. Asher and this mystery man, so don't even bother asking. My eight am class already tried it. Instead, I'd like you to channel your enthusiasm for this article, into reading and discussing the works of…"

Nora closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.

This day was not turning out so good. Despite the lecturer's speech, Nora could still hear people talking and whispering about her. She was now counting down the seconds until the two hour lecture was over. She really wished the time would go by faster, but considering that she wanted it to, she highly doubted it would.

She tried to concentrate on the professor, and the lecture. But her skin felt hot and tight, and she was on edge. Every glance in her direction, every muffled whisper, every giggle, made her flush in embarrassment, positive they were to do with her.

She glanced back slowly. Mike just sat there, intent on the content of the lecture. It was easy for him. Nobody knew it was him in the picture, he mostly kept to himself, and wasn't present in large social circles, so he was completely at ease. Or at least somewhat at ease; his shoulders looked tense.

Nobody was whispering about how _he_ could be sleeping with someone, a mystery someone. Nobody was trying to figure it out. No one was talking about how he tried to grab someone's butt. It was embarrassing. Especially because she knew who it was in the picture, and that she'd never touch him if she could help it. And now he had something to hold over her.

His eyes dropped to her. When he saw her looking, he smirked. Nora scowled, turning back around. He was so smug. So conceited. And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what she'd done to him. She'd never met him before, certain she would have remembered someone like him. Someone who looked like him. She'd been over it a million times in her head, and she just didn't know. She tried letting it go. She did. But Nora had a stubborn streak, that wouldn't let her give up until she figured it out. Her mum said she got that from her dad.

The girls in front of her looked back at her, turning back around when Nora met their gaze. She glanced to the side, to find more people looking at her. A guy winked at her lecherously, and she felt a lurch in her gut, looking away. Only to find more eyes. Nora swallowed, grabbed her stuff and stood up. She would have liked to make an unobtrusive, invisible getaway. But when she stood up, so did Agent Todd and Jackson. She could feel the pressure of more than a hundred eyes on her back as she walked out the lecture theatre.

She just wanted to be alone, so she veered to the right, and went into the girl's bathroom. She locked the stall behind her, sitting down on the lid, staring at her hands. The hot, tight feeling of her skin didn't go away, despite being out from under everyone's gaze.

What was the matter with her? She was being such a baby. _Get a grip._ She was in newspapers all the time. Admittedly, the articles weren't about her. And she'd always been fully dressed, towards the back of the shot as she stood beside her mother and father. The articles were always about her dad, not her. Not her possible love life. Which, really, was none of anyone else's business.

Nora was a private kind of person, and having a lot of people suddenly discussing something that fell under that 'private' category, did not sit well with her. At all.

She needed to try to get used to it. Now that she was at college, there was suddenly an upsurge in attention being focused on her. On her movements, and now she knew, her love life also. She could properly prepare herself now. She could handle the attention, even if she wished she didn't have to.

She walked out of the stall, turning the tap on and splashing water on her face. She switched her phone on, just as it called again. Her dad. Shocker.

She sighed, and answered the phone. "Daddy. It's not what it looks like."

It was always best to start the conversation with 'daddy'. It was a gentle reminder that she was such a daddy's girl, and that she was still his little girl. And he surely couldn't get made at his little girl. Hopefully.

"Who is he?" Was his question, his voice forcibly calm.

"No one. A jerk. And I wasn't reaching for his butt, that article is a load of rubbish!"

Her dad harrumphed, but Nora got the feeling that his irritation wasn't directed at her. She thought… it might be for the guy in the picture. Mike. She couldn't understand why, though.

"Nora, I want you to swear to me you weren't grabbing some guy's butt. Please," his voice was almost pleading, and Nora suppressed a grin. Her and her dad had had a conversation like this often. He'd complain she was growing up too fast, and what not, and Nora would have to assure him she'd always need her daddy. And if she ever got a boyfriend, she knew her dad would not like him. Ever.

"I _swear_, dad." She said earnestly. "Hear how serious I am. He's a jerk. He's the last guy I'd touch. Ever. Trust me. I was reaching to spin him around, because he pushed me in the pool, _on purpose_, and I wanted to know why!"

"Alright…" he said slowly.

"You're not mad?"

"If that's what you said happened, I believe you, and that picture is taken out of context. I'll see what we can do about suing the reporter for libel."

But that wasn't a 'no' to her question. Her dad wasn't really one to get angry, or to physically show his anger. But that didn't mean he couldn't be annoyed or disappointed.

Libel, by definition, was false. And that article was definitely false. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution meant that the United States had just about the freest press in the world. Reporters could report what they liked, so long as they remained within the bounds of professionalism.

But the article never made any claims. It was all supposition and guiding implications. The journalist had done well not to incriminate themselves. Nora knew they probably wouldn't win, if her dad tried to sue the reporter.

And she didn't want to make this into a big deal. She just wanted the whole thing to go away.

"Try not to get into any more trouble, okay Nora? Love you." He hung up before Nora could ask him not to do anything about the article.

The President of the Free World had a lot of demands on his time.

"Love you too, dad," she sighed.

It was too late to go back into the lecture. Not that she even wanted to. So she went to the library to continue working on her essay before her next lecture.

**Thanks for reading!**

**I hope you liked this chapter! I'll definitely be continuing this story, and I have a plan of where it's going to go, that I hope you'll like. I know there isn't much Mike in here yet, but there will be. I want you to get to know Nora first, because this story is really about her.**

**NGArmyWife: **Thanks for reviewing again! I'll definitely continue it so long as there're people interested in reading more of it (though, truthfully, I'd probably continue it even if people weren't. It's a lot of fun for me to write). Haha, so true! I haven't really gotten to any of the benefits yet, but definitely the disadvantages! I should definitely do that! I started watching Bounty Hunter, and I have to say that you're right – I'm becoming more of a fan! Haha, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reviewing for me!

**Mascota: **Hey! Thanks for reviewing again! (And for PMing me!)! I'm so glad you like it, though truthfully, there will be less about Mike's character, because it's mainly about Nora, but I'll see what I can do :D Haha, yeah, he's part of Nora's security detail, but because he's a little younger, Ben sent him to the school to keep watch over her undercover, and without her knowing. Just in case, as added protection. He could see her becoming suspicious, and he had to throw her off track, so he's acting like a bit of a jerk. That's good to know then. Don't apologise, your English is fine! I know exactly what the meaning of your words are, so it's all good :D Thanks so much for reviewing for me again! I really hope you liked this chapter too!


	4. Chapter 4

The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace

Chapter Four

Nora's alarm went off, and she sat up, switching it off as quickly as she could. Amy just lifted a pillow up and threw it at Nora, before rolling over and falling back asleep. She did that every morning, used to Nora's early morning runs by now.

Nora wiped the sleep from her eyes as she pulled on an oversized shirt and her running shorts. She pulled her hair back, rolling her shoulders and stepping outside her room. Agent Todd stood there, eyes straight ahead, having switched with the night shift guys somewhere around five-thirty.

"Morning," she mumbled, still feeling sleepy.

"Morning, Ms. Asher," he replied, his voice and face neutral, just like a good secret service agent. They were there to protect her, not to invest themselves in her life.

"How're Rebecca and Leo?" Nora asked, referring to his wife and son.

A small smile lit his face, a different kind of light shining in his eyes than the usual aware, on-the-ball one, before he quickly dismissed it, "Good. Leo's walking now."

"That's great," Nora smiled, making her way downstairs, Agent Todd right behind her. When she spent enough time with the agents that followed her about, she tended to ask questions. She felt a need to know about the men guarding her. She couldn't place her trust in strangers.

At some point, Agents Jackson and Tyler joined them. Nora didn't even hear them.

It was a short walk to where Nora liked to run; it covered about two and a half miles through a park, sometimes along a small river. She stretched as she walked. The beginning of her run, the entrance through the park, was marked by the corner of a building, and she headed for it. She would put her back to the wall, and start running, and that would be her starting and finishing line. Just as she reached it though, someone slammed into her, from around the corner, obviously heading for the same path as Nora.

Nora was sent stumbling back, losing her balance and landing on her butt. A voice above her said, "Sorry about that. Oh. It's just you. Will you call off your goon squad?"

Nora glanced up, seeing Mike's arm being held by Agent Jackson as Agent Tyler patted him down for a weapon, or for some sort of signal that said he meant to hurt her. Agent Todd helped her to her feet, "Are you all right, Miss Asher?"

Who didn't look around corners before they went barging past? It was an accident waiting to happen. But, it was just before six in the morning, and no one really woke up this early in the first place. He obviously didn't expect to see anyone else here.

"Fine, thank you," she said, brushing off her shorts, before folding her arms in front of her chest and looking at Mike. He had a loose singlet and sports shorts on, complete with worn running shoes. Nora ignored the way this singlet, like the one from yesterday, displayed his muscled biceps. "Technically, they don't work for me, so they don't have to do what I say. Otherwise, don't you think I would've told them to let me go places by myself?"

"All clear," Agent Tyler reported, and Mike pulled his arm out of Agent Jackson's grip, an irritated expression on his face.

"I could've told you that," Mike grumped.

Nora frowned, "Are you following me?"

Mike snorted disparagingly, "Don't flatter yourself. This is my running route."

"It's mine too," Nora felt the need to say, pointing out the obvious.

"Well, don't worry, after today, you won't see me here again," he said, walking past her, and gradually picking up his pace into a run.

Nora looked incredulously at Agent Todd, who shrugged, clearly confused and somewhat amused by the exchange. Nora took off after him, catching up to him fairly easily, and Nora vaguely wondered if he was running at a slower pace on purpose. His well-muscled legs looked like they could take him places fast. "What's your problem?"

He didn't look at her, didn't even seem surprised that she was keeping up with him, or that she was pestering him again, "I don't have one."

"Clearly, you do."

He grunted, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'conceited much?', but she couldn't be sure.

"What was that?" She snapped, her shoulders tensing.

"I'm sorry I'm not fawning over you like every other guy at this university. Did you want me to hang off your every word when I just don't give a shit?" He raised an eyebrow, turning to look at her as she kept stride with him. Her legs were beginning to burn, her face tinged pink from exertion.

Her dad had wanted her to start running. At first, he ran with her. Then he stopped, suddenly much busier. Presidency did that. But he still wanted her to run. That way, he'd said, if something ever happened, you could run for as far and as long as necessary. So she continued, because he wanted her to. After a while, she even started to enjoy it. She found it was a good way to just stop thinking. Sometimes her head was so full, that the momentary break was what she needed most.

She grimaced, "They're not fawning." He rolled his eyes at her denial. "And no, of course not. But… do you have to be so rude to me?"

He grinned widely at her, and she could see a slight sheen of sweat over his forehead. His voice didn't come out in spurts or panting breaths, though. "That's part of my charm. It's what makes people curious."

It was Nora's turn to roll her eyes, "Don't you mean nauseous?"

He just continued to grin, ignoring her insult. "You'll see."

It sounded vaguely ominous for Nora, and she asked apprehensively, "I'll see what?"

He took a minute to answer, "Maybe this is all a part of my ploy."

Nora pursed her lips. She shouldn't ask. It was what he wanted her to do, and she hardly wanted to give him the satisfaction. But… she wanted to know, damnit. She wanted to figure this guy out properly, so she could forget all about him, and never waste time thinking about his meaning or motives ever again. If she could just get some insight, she'd never have to wonder about him again, and a repeat of yesterday's article wouldn't be an issue. At least, not with him, because she'd be able to completely ignore him. "What ploy?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

She knew it. She shouldn't have asked. "Ugh! You're so infuriating!" There was no ploy, he was just making fun of her. And like the sucker she was, she fell for it. She glared stonily at the grass. Why was she even bothering with him? She didn't care anymore if he didn't like her, or why.

He laughed at her exasperation, clearly enjoying their conversation, much to Nora's indignation, and she contemplated picking something up to throw at his head. "Do you really want to know?

She griped, "That would be why I asked." She wasn't so sure she wanted to know anymore. From the way he was grinning, she was pretty sure she wouldn't like it.

"To get you to fall for me."

For a minute, Nora was silent. Then she burst into hysterical laughter, which didn't help with the whole breathing thing, making her stop. She braced her hands against her knees, raking in great, gulping gasps as she tried to calm herself down. She wiped away tears of mirth, "Please. I wouldn't fall for you if you were the last guy on planet earth."

The idea was preposterous. Ridiculous. Nora didn't even _like_ this guy, let alone even want to be his friend.

"Really?" He asked, surprised. Too surprised for Nora's tastes, and she looked up to find his hands on his hips as he breathed deeply, watching her spectacle. "Well that's interesting seeing as this is the second time you've chased after me. I'd say it's working pretty well."

Her laughter dried up, positive now that he was teasing her. Mocking her. It pissed her off, partly because he had a point, and she took off running, shoving her shoulder into his as she passed him.

"This is my running route." Behind her, she could hear her security detail following her. Mike's laughter floated into the air.

"Whatever, _your_ _highness_," he taunted. She glowered, irritated. What was his _problem_?

She'd done nothing to him, and he'd pushed her in the pool, made her appear in the paper looking ridiculous, forced her into unwanted spotlight for the wrong reasons, and now he was making fun of her.

The next second, he was overtaking her, running ahead. She frowned, annoyed that he could beat her at something she'd been doing for years. This was supposed to be her time. Her time to not think. To be alone by choice, and to just enjoy nature. To work up a sweat and push herself. And he was ruining it. Completely. He just barged his way into her life, and she did not appreciate it.

She made herself run faster, catching him, and passing him. But then he was passing her, puffing and sweating. They raced like that for a while. There were times Nora was sure she was winning, only to have him speed up past her. She pushed herself faster than she knew she could go, testing him. And he always seemed to be just that bit faster. They flew by other early morning joggers, and walking couples, desperate to beat the other. This was her thing.

Up ahead was the looping bit of the track, and they split off to the left, where it would take them up and across the bridge over the river, down to the other side, and back around where it would meet the track for them to run back the other way. It was the half-way point, where Nora usually stopped to catch her breath. And she certainly needed it.

Despite her desire to beat him, she slowed, flopping onto the grass to lie on her back, breathing heavily, trying to get enough oxygen to her lungs and thus to her body. Surprisingly, he stopped too, doubling over and bracing his palms against his knees. Sweat patches coloured his singlet in various places; the middle of his back, around his neck, under his arms.

Despite her earlier thoughts, she needed to know.

"Can I ask you something?" She gasped out.

He looked at her from his hunched position. "There's nothing I can do to stop you," he muttered dryly.

She ignored his unenthusiastic reply. "Why did you push me in the pool?"

He shrugged, "You looked hot." It was his sly grin that made her frown. Was that… some sort of innuendo? If it was, she didn't appreciate it. And she certainly didn't appreciate the thrill of excitement that shot through her at his words. She clammed up, her face shutting down as she glared up at the sky.

He laughed, "Fucking hell! No retort! Did I just make the president's daughter speechless?" He asked no one in particular.

"Jerk. At least after today, I won't have to see you here again, ruining my run," she managed to growl out, despite still breathing heavily. She despised him, and she would be perfectly fine if she never saw him again. Ever.

"Yeah, about that," he began, making her groan in apprehension. "I've changed my mind."

"What?" Her voice carried a deadly current, and the threat there made him grin.

"I like this track. I don't want to go somewhere else. You can."

"Excuse me?" Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You heard me."

"I'm not going anywhere," she snapped.

He shrugged, "Then you'll just have to deal with seeing me."

"No!" She pulled herself to her feet. This morning had been bad enough; she couldn't handle every morning from now until she finished her degree. She couldn't stand him. "That's not fair, you said you'd go somewhere else!"

"I did," he agreed. "And then I changed my mind. How about this? Race me. Winner gets the track."

"I'm not racing you for it!" This was so stupid. Why did he have to be so darn stubborn? He had said he'd leave, so clearly he wasn't that attached to the track in the first place. Why now? Why'd he have to go and change his mind?

"Why? Afraid you'll lose?" He challenged Nora, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

She scoffed, fire burning in her eyes. "No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"There isn't one." She took off, not giving him a chance to say anything else and giving herself a head start. It was unfair, she knew, but she also knew he deserved it. But it didn't matter anyway, because she stepped on her untied shoelaces, her foot jerking forward, and she fell. Right onto Mike, the force of her momentum bringing them both crashing to the ground.

Lucky for her, she landed on Mike, so it wasn't so jarring to her. Then again, she did land on Mike, which wasn't lucky at all.

"Oof," she muttered, the wind being knocked out of her unexpectedly. She hadn't tripped in years, and it caught her off guard. The older she got, the more traumatizing an experience it became. She pushed herself up, her hands steadied on his firm chest, as she embarrassingly straddled his hips. A very intimate part of herself was pressed against a very intimate part of him, and the loose, thin material of their exercise shorts hardly constituted a barrier.

She blinked. She couldn't believe she'd tripped. How embarrassing, right as she was about to take off running. Absentmindedly, his large hands gently grasped the sides of her legs, wincing slightly as he moved his head. He looked up at her, his eyes locking with hers, taking her in. Then he grinned, "I'm all for a woman on top."

She made a face at him, his words finally making her realize their position, and she scrambled off him as fast as she could, "Pig."

She bent down to tie up her shoelaces as he stood up, "Were you going to cheat?" He asked, and she could hear the laugh in his voice.

She straightened up, "No."

"Liar."

"I'm not a liar," she said fiercely. And a little too defensively. She cleared her throat, "Are we going to race, or not?"

He nodded, and they ran. She didn't get far before he was gaining and then passing her. She clenched her teeth, her breathing harsh in her ears. She would win this. This was her track, not his.

They raced hard again, and Nora realized he'd been holding back before. He'd tricked her into thinking he was about the same speed as her. When she saw the building up ahead, she put on a burst of speed, desperate not to let him win. They passed the imaginary finish line on the same step, catching him off guard, and she collapsed to the ground again. She closed her eyes.

She voiced her thoughts, saying aloud, "You didn't let me win."

"And?" He panted.

"Most people do." She mused on it. "It's a nice change."

Yes, she'd wanted to completely win, but it was nice that she hadn't. Most people just let her win, and it bugged her, especially when it was obvious that they had.

"Well, I'm a competitive guy."

She harrumphed, pulling herself up and walking away from him, not eager to spend more time in his company. He called after.

"Goodbye Nora." He said her name like it was the punch line to a joke. "Tomorrow morning, same time?"

Her jaw tensed and she didn't turn around or reply.

**Thanks for reading!**

**Let me know what you think!**

**Replies:**

**NGArmyWife: **Aww, thank you so much! I'm so stoked you liked it! Haha, oh yeah, she definitely doesn't know it yet. It makes it so much fun to write! Wow. Just wow. Thank you so much! That's such a great compliment, that you felt Nora's emotions! Gosh, thank you so much! BINGO! That's precisely what's going on with Mike! He can't let himself like Nora, but he has to be around her, so it's tricky, and what he ends up doing is his way of trying to keep it all in balance. This chapter had more Mike in it (Yay!), and I hope you liked it – it's a bit of fun, for sure, but it gave them a bit more time to themselves to figure each other out. Though, Nora walked away just as confused by him as ever :D And seriously, major fan of him right here, now. Each movie just makes me like him more!

**Mascota: **Thank you so much! It's fantastic that you're still enjoying it! It bodes well for me . Thank you! Well, it's a good sign if you can read it twice; on your way to work and when you reviewed! At least it's not too dull then, because I'm not heading straight into the events of the movie, or anything. I'm glad you love it, and the details! And thanks so much for PMing me! It's so interesting to meet someone from a different country! Gosh, thanks so much! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter; there was some more Mike in it, and more interaction between him and Nora, which I hope you liked too! She really just doesn't know what to make of Mike, so it's so much fun to write!

**Koryandrs: **Haha, thank you so much! You seem to be reviewing a bunch of my stories lately! Thank you so much for that, it's really sweet of you! Thank you so much; I'm glad you like how I developed my OC, and the level of detail I include, and the dialogue! Whoops, thanks for pointing out the 'headline' thing! I'll fix that soon! It's funny, because my phone is linked to receive my emails, and it makes this funny noise, so when you reviewed the first chapter, it did it, then not long after, the second chapter, then the third! It scared my dogs! But thank you so much for taking the time to review each of the chapters, though! You didn't have to do that, but it's so nice of you! Thanks again!


	5. Chapter 5

The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace

Chapter Five

Okay. So, maybe he was on Nora's mind a lot lately.

Strike that. Constantly, would be more accurate. Ever since the whole running incident, she'd been adequately preoccupied.

When she'd returned to their dorm to have a shower and get ready for the day, she'd been irritable and grumpy, which was unusual for Nora after a run, and Amy picked up on it almost straight away.

"Alright, what's up with you?" She'd sighed as Nora picked a shirt from her drawers, pulled it on, looked down, then tugged it off and threw it across the room.

"Nothing."

"Come on," Amy had raised an eyebrow at her then, watching another shirt follow the first across the room. "You're usually unnaturally cheery in the morning. It's unnerving. Seriously. But this morning, you're all grumpy and angry…you're like me. So spill."

So she'd told her what had happened. About Mike ruining her run and getting in her head, teasing and insulting her, and just generally ruining her morning. Amy had laughed, undaunted by the glare Nora threw at her. "I think he likes you."

Nora just looked at her. "Did you not hear anything I just said? The asshole hates me," she'd deadpanned. She wasn't usually so harsh. She didn't generally insult people or call them names.

But for Mike, she'd make an exception.

Amy had just laughed again, shaking her head and heading to have a shower, leaving Nora to stew in her angry musings.

He'd been there again this morning. At first, Nora had let herself hope he wouldn't turn up. But just as she started to run, he'd appeared next to her, grinning and asking how she slept. And then, just to piss her off, he'd asked what she slept in. Very quickly, he was coming to know what made her angry and what made her uncomfortable. And he was totally using it against her.

But she was beginning to notice things about him, too. Like, his rough, low voice had a slight accent to it. She couldn't tell what it was, but she knew it wasn't all-American. Also, he didn't seem particularly put-off by the presence of the Agents behind her, following her every step. In fact, he didn't even look at them most of the time, and they certainly didn't stop him from bugging her. The lines around his eyes made him look older sometimes, in certain lights. And sometimes, when he was quiet, and so obviously in his head, Nora noticed that his brown eyes seemed… kind of haunted. Like he'd seen too much of the horrible parts of the world, the bad bits. It made Nora wonder what he'd seen; clearly, it wasn't all fun times and rainbows and lollipops.

But then she'd shake her head and remind herself that she didn't care.

Nora sat in the Coffee Shop, sipping at her iced chocolate. Amy had a lecture, so she figured she'd wait there for Amy to finish. She had an online exam to study for, anyway. Her textbook was opened at a page about halfway through the book, her notebook, piles of handouts and notes surrounded her. Red coloured sticky notes stuck out all over the place. She had about half a page of notes when her phone rang.

It was Will.

She pursed her lips, looking at the screen of her iPhone. He was probably calling to cancel their date. He probably decided it was too much of a hassle to date a girl who seemed to be constantly in the spotlight. It was two days after that horrid article about her, but people were still talking about it. Will had to have seen it.

"Hello?" She asked, not being able to stop the apprehension twisting her gut. While she wouldn't be entirely bummed if he did cancel, it still hurt to be rejected.

"Hey, Nora. How are you?" She tried to discern the tone of his voice, but quickly discovered she was useless at it.

"Alright. What about you?"

"Good. And you?" He asked, before he groaned. "I…already asked that. Sorry. I just get nervous talking to you. Which is such a lame thing to say. Feel free to stop me anytime."

Nora laughed, "It's okay. Why did you call?"

"Well…" And there it was. "I'm going to have to cancel our date."

At least she couldn't say she didn't see it coming. "That's okay Will. I understand."

And she did. A lot of people were put off by it, by the fact she was always appearing in the paper, and how if people were around her often enough, they'd appear there too. And not always in a flattering light. It wasn't for everyone, and she understood when people just said no.

"Oh – no! That's not what I meant!" This was taking an unexpected turn. "It's just that I forgot I promised a friend I'd help him study for his exam that day. I'd still really like to take you out, though. There's a carnival coming to town in two weeks. I want that to be our first date. I want it to be fun."

Nora's eyebrows were dangerously close to her hairline. "Oh? Two weeks. Okay."

"Yeah," And Nora could almost hear him nodding his head enthusiastically. "I know it's a long way off, but I was thinking… maybe we could get coffee tomorrow morning. Not as a date. Just to hang out."

Nora frowned. He'd obviously put a lot of thought into this. He wanted to make their first date fun, and Nora really appreciated it. It was sweet of him. But he still wanted to see her sooner than that. The thought made her smile. It was nice, knowing there was someone who couldn't wait two weeks to see her again. "Sounds good, Will."

"Great. What time are you awake by?"

"Well, I can be there by eight, but I have a ten am lecture."

"Great. The Coffee Shop, eight am. It's a not-date."

Nora giggled, even though it was so very un-like her. She wasn't really a giggler – a laugher, yes, but a giggler? Not her thing. "Okay."

She hung up. And, she was actually smiling. She knew it was a good idea to give Will another chance. Not everybody was good at first impressions, and he had probably been nervous when they first met.

Nora settled back in her seat, pulled out some headphones and started listening to music while she studied.

…

She only had half an hour until Amy's lecture finished, and they could get some lunch. Nora was starved, her brain felt suspiciously like mush, and her hand was cramping something chronic. For the past ten minutes, she'd spent more time bopping her head slightly to the songs blasting through her ear phones than to her textbook.

She changed the song, then went back to reading her textbook. She read the same line about five times before she realized, and even then she didn't know what it was about. She sighed, rubbing at her eyes. She ordered anther drink, and made herself focus.

A body fell into the seat across from her, making her jump in surprise. She automatically assumed it was Amy, her lecture ending a little early. But when she glanced up, she realized it wasn't. Mike.

She didn't know why she was surprised, but she was. He was looking away, getting the waitress' attention and ordering a drink, giving Nora enough time to take in his appearance. His hair was getting a little longer, and Nora thought it was probably annoying him, even though it wasn't long in the first place. He had a baseball cap on again, a different one this time, but she couldn't read what it said on the front because his face was turned away. As she scrutinized him, she thought that her initial guess of about 25 or 26 was off; he was closer to 27. He had to have about eight to ten years on her.

She looked back down at her books before he caught her staring, concentrating on her notebook. But if she was distracted before, she certainly was now. _What was it with him?_

She had no clue, but she was determined to ignore him. It made no difference to Nora if he sat there or not. She didn't care in the _least_. Or, that was what she told herself. She hated that she wasn't sure. The waitress with the name tag _Renee_ dropped her drink off at Nora's table, and Nora thanked her, taking a sip before looking back down at her notebook. She didn't even acknowledge his presence. Hopefully, he could take a hint.

Apparently not, because she could just _feel_ him grinning at her, clearly aware of what she was trying to do. And he said it himself; he was a competitive guy. He wouldn't let her win this… this thing they were playing at. Everywhere she went, he inevitably turned up. She was sure he was doing it _on purpose_. Just like the pool incident.

He started tapping a rhythm onto the table. Her eyes flickered to his fingers, then to her notebook. When he didn't miss a beat or slow down after two minutes, she learned he also had precision coordination. Figures. She didn't know the tune he was tapping to, and slowly it began to irritate her. Damnit.

She sighed loudly. "Do you _mind_?"

"Not at all," he grinned and just continued to tap away. He looked up at her, not needing to watch his fingers to keep it in time. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like," she said incredulously, gesturing at the textbook and piles of notes and sticky notes gathered on her small table. He obviously wasn't blind, so she had a hunch he was only asking her questions to distract her and annoy her. It was working.

"What are you listening to?"

"What's with all the questions," she shook her head as he reached across the table unabashedly and grabbed her phone from under her fingers. His own hand was surprisingly warm, despite the Coffee Shop being air conditioned. The skin of his fingers was rough, and it was so much bigger than her own soft hand. They were hands used to manual labour, and a hard living style. He pressed the home button of her iPhone to see what song she was listening to. He frowned, looking back up at her.

"S&M by Rhiannon?" The he grinned, "Didn't have you pegged for one of those sex freaks."

She glared at him, "Excuse me?"

"S&M. You know what it stands for, right?" He asked. His already wide grin widened when she shook her head. She'd never bothered to look it up. She guessed it had to do with sex, considering the lyrics. She liked it because the beat was so darn catchy. He laughed.

She watched him suspiciously, asking slowly, "Why? What does it mean?"

He just shook his head and continued to wear that stupid, shit eating, self-satisfied grin.

She clenched her jaw, "Fine. Way to be mature. And by the way, this song happens to be extremely catchy. Don't be so rude; you can't control your sexuality, and by saying 'freak', you imply it to be unnatural, which is completely incorrect. Now, if you don't mind, I have work to be doing."

He didn't move and she sighed again, like he was putting her out. "That was your cue to leave."

"Damn. I missed it. I was never any good at acting, anyway. Too many lines and cues to remember."

She rolled her eyes, pursing her lips to hide a grin. She admitted to herself that he could be charming. But she quickly dismissed the thought and gave it strict orders to never return. She lifted her iced chocolate, taking a sip, while trying to maintain an icy glare at Mike. And as a result, she got cream over her face, having forgotten about it. She flushed in embarrassment while he grinned, his eyes watching her movements closely. She wiped at her mouth with a napkin, licking her lips.

He laughed at her, shaking his head. His eyes were focused on her nose and he reached towards her face. She jerked back in response, watching him with wide eyes, "What are you doing?"

"You missed a bit," he informed her, gesturing at his own nose. She swiped at her approximation of where he was pointing and his lips quirked. "You missed it again."

She held perfectly still as he reached forward, his finger gliding against the side of her nose, and wiping away the tiny dollop of cream, holding his hand up for her to see. "There."

She gritted her teeth, about to thank him, when a voice came across the shop, "I hope I'm not interrupting…?"

For the second time, Nora was startled by another person. This was why she'd never make it in a job where she needed to be observant to her surroundings. So, that pretty much ruled out being a secret service agent. Amy stood there, her cheeks tinged pink from the heat outside the Coffee Shop, her books held in her hands, and her eyebrows raised in question at Nora.

"No. Definitely not," Nora informed her, widening her eyes at Amy in an I-don't-know-what's-wrong-with-him way. Amy took the hint, reading her easily.

She turned her attention to Mike. "That's my seat."

Nora mouthed a _thank you_ at her, grateful. For about a nanosecond. Then Amy opened her mouth to continue on.

"If you want to flirt with Nora, do it in a different seat."

"Hang on a second," Nora began.

"I wasn't - ," Mike said at the same time.

"He's the last person I'd let flirt with me," Nora scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Mike looked at her, "Well, you're not exactly my type either, _your highness_." He did a mock bow from his sitting position. He was irritated now, and Nora realized it was the first time he'd shown that kind of emotion. Usually, he was grinning, or laughing, teasing her and pissing her off. But he was always enjoying himself when he was. He didn't seem particularly thrilled right now.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "You're such an asshole."

"You're not so much fun, yourself."

Her eyes widened in exasperation, hissing at him, _"Then why did you sit down?"_

"You know what?" He said, a frown marring his face as he stood up. "I think I know when I'm not wanted."

"Do you really, though? Because I distinctly remember asking you, in no uncertain terms, to _leave_. I mean, how much clearer can I be than, _'that was your cue to leave'_?" She asked, looking around the shop like she was waiting for someone to answer her rhetorical question.

He did another mock bow as he shoved the chair under the table. The wooden legs of it collided with her shins, and she hissed in pain. "Have a nice life, _your highness_."

"Does that mean you're getting your own running route?" She asked hopefully, calling after him. Did he mean that he wouldn't be seeing her again? Or bothering her again? Hope filled her chest cavity.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" He snapped, flinging the door to the Coffee Shop open and waving dismissively above his head as he walked out, not turning around. She was glaring at the door, even though he wasn't there anymore.

Nora turned to Amy, "He's so annoying!"

"Uh-huh?" She asked, a speculative look on her face. "Did you know you're blushing?"

"What?" Nora frowned, her hands going to her cheeks. Sure enough, they felt hot under her fingers. "No wonder. He pisses me off."

"If you say so," she muttered, shoving her books into her bag. She must have darted out of the room as soon as the lecture finished, not even stopping to pack her stuff away.

"What was that?" Nora asked, frowning. She'd heard her, but she was confused as to her meaning. Her tone was almost…disbelieving, or somewhat sarcastic.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Did you want to get lunch?"

"Yes. I'm starved. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."

What Nora didn't hear, as she packed up her own books and notes, was Amy mumble under her breath, "Being sexually frustrated sure can make you work up an appetite."

**So…What'd'ya think? **

**I know that at the moment, there isn't much of a plot, but I'm working up to it. So please bear with me :D**

**And, here are the replies:**

**NGArmyWife: **Awww, shucks :) Glad I could give you a good start, at least! You're most definitely welcome (for the chapter, and for the images of a sweaty Mike :D Haha!). Thank you so much, I'm relieve you think I've got his attitude right; I'm always a bit iffy when I write some of his responses to Nora! Haha, I DID! That's crazy you could tell! Haha, it was a good movie! Thank you so much! I hope to keep the complications coming, for now :D I'm really glad you're enjoying their burgeoning relationship, because I just love writing it! At the moment, it's my favourite story to be writing! Yes! Haha, lots of frustration, curiosity and attraction (though she wouldn't admit the last one!) I'm really glad I can make you feel what Nora feels –it's such a big compliment! Thanks so much for reviewing this for me, again! Haha, it's really sweet of you to continue reviewing like this! And oh my gosh, thank you so much for PMing me! That was really, super sweet of you! Thank you so much!

**Mascota: **Hey, thanks for reviewing and PMing me again! It's really, really nice of you! Naw, you're too kind! I wouldn't say I'm an artist when I write the characters, but I appreciate it nonetheless! I'll be walking around going 'Yeah. That's right. I'm an artist. Someone said it.', and then eventually all my friends and family will just get sick of me being so conceited, and my friends will stop talking to me, and my family will ignore me, and it'll be all your fault! Haha, no, really thank you though! It's really nice of you! Thanks so much for sticking with me on this story! I will definitely be continuing the story (At this stage, I'm thinking there'll be roughly 30, maybe 40 chapters), but sometimes it just takes me longer to get the updates out. If it's ever taking me too long, then just send me a PM and be like 'What's taking you so long?'! Haha, thanks :D


	6. Chapter 6

The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace

Chapter Six

Nora sipped at her drink, pressing her lips together, desperately searching her mind for something, God, _anything_, to say.

Her and Will looked at each other. There was silence in abundance.

And Nora was worried it'd be awkward. Pff. Ludicrous.

Now she wished she'd spent some time coming up with a list of things to say. But she'd stupidly thought she didn't need to.

They'd spent the last couple minutes, after the initial 'How are you?' and 'I'm good', just sitting at a two seater table looking at each other, at the room, at the other people walking past and into the Coffee Shop.

"So…" Nora said, at the same time as Will, even though she couldn't think of a single thing to say. "You go first."

"Alright," he cleared his throat. "I just have a question, actually. About the article that was in the newspaper a while ago…"

Nora groaned, nodding in understanding, before explaining, "That article was a load of rubbish. I wasn't grabbing for his butt. I was reaching to spin him around so I could ask what his problem was. He'd pushed me in the pool, and I just wanted to know why."

"Oh, okay," Will said, sounding comparatively happier. "I didn't want to get in the middle of anything."

"No, trust me. There is absolutely _nothing_ that could make me grab his butt," Nora stressed, making sure he understood just how repulsive the idea was.

He smiled, "Well that's good, because I really didn't want to stop seeing you." He made Nora smile. He was sweet. He cleared his throat, looking over Nora's shoulder, "Are they always following you about?"

Nora glanced over to see Agents Todd and Jackson. Agent Tyler stood closer to the door, and they were all in their suits, glasses, and ear pieces. Most of the time, they were so unobtrusive that she didn't even pay attention to them. She tuned out their talk to each other, letting everyone know exactly where she was and was going. They were amazingly focused. They worked with a single-minded purpose, which was crucial. They were exact. Perfect. Scheduled. They had to be.

Sometimes, it grinded on Nora's nerves. For once, she wanted to be late. She wanted to deviate from the schedule. Since starting at college though, there had been less rigid structure to her day. And admittedly, she had a lot of free reign over her day. It was only when there was a specific event she had to be present at; it was a lot of work to get there. A fundraiser. A charity of sorts. A meeting. A debate. Those were the times when there was a schedule.

At the university, when she moved from class to class, there were a large number of agents she didn't even see, standing down hallways, at entrances, moving in sync with her. If it was a multi-level building, you could bet there were agents stationed on each level, covering all exits and entrances. Agent's Tyler, Todd and Jackson were her 'near' agents. They were the ones she knew; the ones almost always with her, station close to her person. The others were her 'perimeter' agents, more concerned with her environment and potential dangers lurking in that environment than her movements within it.

Nora was the most well protected eighteen year old in America.

And really, everyday something didn't go wrong, everyday her father, her mother, her brother or herself didn't die, everyday everything went according to plan, was because those agents were doing their job well. Flawlessly. And most of the time, nobody knew what they did, every single day. Or the kind of determination and focus they carried with them.

Nora knew she owed these agents a lot.

"Yes," she said seriously to Will. "Is that going to be a problem?"

That was really a deciding factor. He had to be able to deal with it, if he wanted to date her. They wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

She didn't blame him if he couldn't. The President's daughter didn't get much privacy or alone time. The few times she went on dates didn't end so well or were cut short, sometimes because of misinterpreted threats, or suspicion by her agents. Sometimes because she attracted a crowd; one person would recognize her, ask for a photo with her, and that would just attract more people to do the same. She'd been caught in the middle of a mob who wanted her picture once, on a date. She wasn't surprised when he didn't call her again. Was it any wonder that the one time she'd been kissed had been broken up after only a second? It was more of a lips-brushing than a lips-meeting kiss.

He seemed uncomfortable by it, but shook his head anyway, "No."

She smiled, relieved.

"Good. Besides, after a while, you won't even notice them. I often forget they're even there," Nora encouraged. "Isn't that right, Agent Jackson?" She asked, turning back to look at the agent in question.

Agent Jackson, in response, continued to watch the people move around the Coffee Shop. He'd kept his shades on, despite being indoors, as the whole of one wall of the shop was just glass panes, and his face was extremely serious. The glass let in a lot of light, particularly early morning light, and it looked out onto the street outside, busy with people.

It was a security nightmare for her agents. It left a lot of access to Nora; a clear visual. But there was something about the quaint shop that Nora loved. The fact that it was rarely exceedingly busy, or quiet; there were always people coming and going. She loved that she could stay in there for hours.

Agent Todd had told Nora once that Agent Jackson did not believe in interacting with his charges outside of what was required of him. It didn't stop Nora from talking to him, though. It was amusing, to talk to someone who would not talk back. So, she'd often had one-sided conversations with the grave, solemn man.

When Agent Jackson did not reply, Nora smiled at him, before turning back to Will. "So, tell me about yourself."

After about a minute, she had to hold her smile in place. She had to stop it from slipping off her face. She honestly didn't know what it was about Will that was just so spectacularly… _blah_. Everything she could feel for him was muted. Diluted. His voice didn't make her want to listen to him forever. He wasn't captivating to her. She felt almost like she was in a professional meeting or interview.

She listened like she did for all her lecturers; with focus and a serious concentration. Like she would have an exam on the content he was telling her. she didn't feel the need to listen avidly to what he said, in the way people should be interested in people they want to date, to have a relationship with, to possibly love.

Maybe that was her problem.

Maybe her notions of love were just mixed up. How many romance novels had she read? Too many to count. Too many stories of soul mates, of raw passion and unrestrained desire, of _each other_. The characters were always so… immersed in each other, with thoughts of nothing but each other. They were everything; the sun, the moon, the stars. The beauty in the world was visible to them only because they had the other there to share it with. The greatest lovers of history were those who could think of no one else. Romeo and Juliet. Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Heathcliff and Catherine. Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky. Paris and Helen. Napoleon and Josephine. Scarlett and Rhett. Eloise and Abelard. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.

Maybe Nora just had unrealistic expectations. Love could come in time; it didn't have to be instantaneous. Elizabeth and Darcy hated each other, at first. And then they became quintessential lovers. What did that say? And while it was certainly too early to be considering falling in love with Will, she felt the need to sort it out in her head. She had to know whether it was worth the time they would commit to each other.

And maybe she was being too clinical about the whole thing. But that was what Will was doing to her. He didn't make her want to throw caution to the winds, to just run with it and see where this could go for them. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing though.

Because really, maybe love wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Paris and Helen started a war, for Christ sakes, in the name of their love. How many men died because of their selfishness? It was ridiculous to start a war just because you couldn't live without each other, couldn't give each other up. Nora didn't think she'd ever be able to hold her love for someone over thousands of men's lives. It made no sense.

Heathcliff and Catherine never ended up together, and instead Heathcliff became bitter and twisted. What did it say about love, that it could make someone so angry when it should bring joy? And where to even start with Romeo and Juliet? They died, because they couldn't live without each other. Did love just bring a co-dependence that made them incapable of accessing life outside of each other? Did it make people into foolish idiots? Was there really only ever one person made for another, without who, there was no point in living? If so, how could one be sure they'd found it? There were so many different starts to love, what if someone gave up on their soul mate under the impression they were not the one?

And Napoleon and Josephine. Despite Napoleon loving Josephine oh-so-much, he still left her for someone who could give him a son. Regardless of their love, nothing was certain. Love did not equal marriage, and did not equal children and did not equal faithfulness. What was the point of giving your heart to someone who would just step on it on their way to someone else's bed?

Love seemed to be more of a bother, than anything else. To Nora, her conclusions were that love made people selfish and foolish. But the subject was so confusingly illogical, that she didn't know what to make of it. There were so many wrong moves. So many unhappy outcomes.

A relationship with Will would be safe. He was somewhat enamored with her, and while she might grow to hold more than just a satisfied contentment towards him, she was still safe from making a fool of herself. And Nora was perfectly happy with that.

"But what about you?" Will asked. Guilt ripped up Nora's chest as she realized, again, she had caught nothing he'd said. she really needed to work on that. It was just so easy to be distracted with him. he didn't test her, or make her focus on everything he said, every tiny facial expression, every momentary body cue to know what he was up to, or what his motives were, or if he was making fun of her.

Nora shrugged, "There's not much to tell that you probably don't already know."

It was true. A lot of her life was contained in various magazine and newspaper articles. Her family, likes, hobbies, pets. Someone just had to google her; she had her own Wikepedia page. It was all there.

He laughed and grinned, "That is definitely true." He laughed again, "I didn't think…"

Nora's heart sank a little.

She wasn't really sure why, but she couldn't look at Will anymore. The brown of her drink suddenly became very interesting, like it held the answers to the worlds questions that would be revealed to her, if only she looked hard enough. She sighed softly, her eyes kind of sad.

When Nora apologized, saying she had to get to her next lecture, she was kind of relieved to get away. She sighed again, not sure why. Dating was a lot more complicated than she thought it would be when she finally got to college and could meet older guys. More mature guys. They made a time and date to meet up again in a couple days.

When Nora left, she didn't notice Amy catch up to her until the girl tapped her on the shoulder, making Nora jump a foot in the air, slapping a hand over her chest,. "_Jesus_. Heart attack. Call for help."

Amy rolled her eyes, ignoring her comments, "So, that didn't go so well, huh?"

"What are you – wait. Were you…_spying_ on me?" Nora asked, a little outraged and a little defensive.

"So what if I was?"

"Do you have nothing better to do that spy on me on my date?" Nora grumbled.

"Nope," Amy grinned ecstatically, pleased with herself. She waved her hand about dismissively, "But that's beside the point. The date, not-date didn't go so well."

"It went fine," Nora replied defensively. It was hard not to be when she felt that Amy was judging her.

"But that's just it. 'Fine' is not great. It's not spectacular. It's not amazing. It's not –,"

"I'm well aware of what 'fine' means."

"Great. Then you should know it's not something most girls aspire to on a first date."

"Technically, it wasn't a date."

Amy sighed, "Come off it. Clearly, it was. Let's not kid ourselves here."

"Well, we're going to have coffee again soon," Nora told her, growing weary of their conversation. Nora was choosing Will, and she didn't like that Amy seemed to be trying to convince her otherwise, or that she seemed to want to undermine that choice. It was up to Nora, and she liked having the choice. She liked being in control. And with Will, she could be in control just fine. It didn't matter that he didn't make her wild with passion. Not to Nora, even if it did to Amy.

They were getting closer to her lecture room, and Amy grabbed her arm to stop her from going inside, so she could continue to talk to her. "Please, just think about it for a second, okay."

"I've thought about it, Amy," Nora sighed, running a hand through her curling black hair. She pulled it over one of her shoulders, twisting the ends around her finger.

Something hard shoved into her shoulder, and she turned to see Mike, turning around in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't seen Nora, and his face was half way to an apology. Just like that first morning running, when he'd walked into her. He just always seemed to be around lately, and it was irritating. She was beginning to suspect he was following her.

Or, maybe now that she had spoken to him, she was just more aware of his presence, so that she noticed when he was around or not.

He leant down into a sweeping, mock bow, grinning mischievously.

Nora rolled her eyes, her jaw clenching "Watch where you're going, man servant. Next time, you'll be in the stocks for a week."

If he wanted to play like that, then Nora would just go with it.

His friends laughed, and a different kind of light entered his eyes, his lips a half-smile. It was less mischievous this time, more challenging. It sent Nora's blood pumping quickly, thumping loudly in her ears, and she knew her face must be heating again.

"Whatever my queen demands." Another bow. She hated when he mocked her. Teased her. When he was impossibly stubborn and annoying.

Okay. Nora had been trying to call his bluff. She'd hoped that if she went along with his newest game, he'd stop. But he didn't. He embraced this new turn of events, adapting so easily, going with it flawlessly. He wasn't thrown, or shocked. He just went with it. And Nora hated it, because he'd called _her_ bluff. She hated him referring to her as a queen, as some sort of royalty. It implied she was spoilt, used to getting her way, and everything she wanted.

"Ugh! You're so infuriating!"

"You say the sweetest things," he laughed. And then they were gone, leaving Nora a frustrated mess. She glared in his direction, despite not being able to see him anymore.

Amy's voice pulled her back to their earlier conversation. But this time it'd taken a different turn. "What is it about this guy that gets you so worked up?"

"He's a jerk, Amy." Nora said it like it was obvious. The duh was implied.

"No," she shook her head. "It's more than that. I've seen the way you look at him. The way you talk to him."

Nora frowned, confused where she was going with this. "With utter disgust and contempt?" She was pretty sure that was how she looked and spoke to Mike. And she should know. Considering it was her, and she'd been careful what expressions she displayed in public ever since she was younger and a photographer had snapped a shot of her poking her tongue out at an older member of parliament who had implied she was a little kid. Even though, technically, she was at the time.

"No. With infatuation and fascination. He gets you hot," She grinned, with a familiar impish glint.

Nora scoffed, "No! God, no! Don't be ridiculous!"

"I'm not," she shook her head, her voice dead serious. "He gets your blood pumping in a way Will never can and never will."

"Stop it. This is absurd." Nora was quickly growing irritated with this conversation. With what she was implying. With what she was saying. She was over the conversation, sick of Amy trying to change her mind about Will. She was so desperate to make her not date Will, she was making up stuff about Nora and Mike now, and it wasn't sitting well with Nora.

Amy didn't see it on her face, or hear it in her voice. Instead, she laughed. So Nora tried again.

"I don't even like him, Amy." Couldn't she hear how serious Nora was?

"That's beside the point. You don't have to like him for him to turn you on. There's sparks between you guys. A connection." She was growing excited now, overtaken with her stupid idea. Her face was eager, and her words were emphasized by her hand movements.

"_No_."

"Why are you denying this? I can see you like him, and I can see he likes you too! So why are you holding back? Are you afraid of getting hurt?"

The sun beat down on Nora's exposed neck, warming her in the heat. She was irritated and pissed off, and she knew she was going to lash out if she didn't calm down. Amy was just trying to help.

She looked Amy in the eye, making her voice as no-nonsense and grim as she could. She was attempting to impersonate Agent Jackson, she realized. "Amy. Stop it. Listen carefully."

Amy looked at her expectantly, finally giving Nora her complete attention. It made Nora forget what she was going to say, because she had expected to need to make her listen properly before she got to the point. Now, she forgot the point. Amy's blue eyes blinked at her, waiting patiently. "I don't like Mike."

Except, she had difficulty swallowing. It confused Nora. It was a familiar feeling, sometimes accompanied by a need to laugh, twitching fingers, or flaring nostrils. It happened when she lied. Nora didn't think she was lying now, though. "I'm not attracted to Mike."

Except, that wasn't strictly true. She wished it was, but she did find Mike attractive. How could she not? His broad shoulders, his height, his strength. The way he wore his hair short, just slightly too long to be military-style, with a baseball cap never far from it. The warm brown of his eyes, that could be serious one second and teasing the next. Which could carry a mischievous light as easily as a challenging light. How they could be so focused on something, whether it was the lecturer, the room, the people around him. Or her. Her face, her eyes. "He doesn't get me hot."

Being flushed in anger, her heart pounding fast from his challenging eyes and teasing lips, was different to being flushed with arousal. She added this to prove her point, "I'm flushed in anger, not arousal."

Amy grinned hugely, and Nora felt suspiciously like a rabbit caught in a cage. "Tell me Nora, what's a synonym for 'arousal'?"

Nora frowned, shrugging. "Stimulation. Provocation. Excitement."

Amy nodded, "Exactly. Think about that, for a while. You better get to your lecture. It'll be starting in a minute. I'll see you later."

And Amy walked off, leaving Nora to puzzle her way through Amy's words. She shook her head and headed for the lecture room.

**So… Tell me. Did you enjoy this chapter?**

**Review replies:**

**Mascota: **Hey:) Thanks for reviewing. Again. Haha, I don't mind if you repeat yourself; I'm just glad you are reading this in the first place. The fact that you think the story is taking form and the characters are lovable is just a bonus! Yeah, that's my approximate number of chapters. I plan on making it a long story. Seriously, by the end, you're going to hate me because of all the ups and downs and complications in their relationship! Haha, thanks for subtly reminding me in a PM that I needed to continue this! I'm so stoked you're still enjoying this! Thanks for reviewing and sending me PM's! It's really nice of you, and I'm so glad you're interested in my story :D

**NGArmyWife: **HAHA! You know, I thought I heard something… Haha, thank you for thanking me for the chapter! Glad you liked it! LOL! I know right? I'm like, maybe they could just kiss now and get the whole complications things out of the way straight up…? No? Okay, you're right brain, it is too early for that! Seriously, a very similar discussion to that occurred in my brain as I wrote it, even though I knew it was way, way too early! Good; glad you're going to bear with me! Glad you like the tension ('cuz I kinda like writing it :P), but you're probably never going to find out why Mike was so irritated. But I can tell you! *If you don't want to know, don't read the following* He was irritated partly because Nora said he was the last person she'd be interested in, pretty much, which bugged him, because he's starting to like her, kind of. Which is also irritating him, because he's an 'undercover' agent that's supposed to be around her, and look after her and what not, and nothing else; he's not meant to kinda, sorta, maybe be developing some inklings of feelings for her. and he probably shouldn't enjoy being around her as much as he is, cause we know that'll lead to trouble :P *Answer finished, you may now continue to read*. Anyway, thanks so much for PMing me! That was super, duper sweet of you, and I really appreciate it! (I'm actually ridiculously flattered!) Thanks so much for reviewing. Again. Haha, I hope you liked this chapter! (P.s., I watched P.S. I Love You! It was sooooo sweet and sooo sad! Gah, I just loved him in it!)

**Koryandrs: **Hey again; thanks so much for reviewing both chapter 4 and 5 – it's so sweet of you to take the time to do both of them! I'm glad you liked the dialogue from chapter 4! I had so much fun writing it! It was their first proper, longer, interaction, and I enjoyed writing it, so I'm glad you enjoyed reading it! Okay; you say it ended abruptly, but that it was okay, so did you think I should make some changes to it so it's not so abrupt? Or do you think it's fine the way it is? Thanks so much for letting me know your thoughts about that! Thanks so much for reviewing the way you do; it's so sweet, and I hope you liked this chapter too!


	7. Chapter 7

The Soldier of War and the Daughter of Peace

Chapter Seven

Nora ran until she couldn't feel her legs anymore. Then she ran some more.

She wouldn't let Mike beat her.

Even if she was getting blisters because she hadn't worn in her new running shoes properly yet. They were killing her. She'd ordered them online, and they were the wrong size. Too big. And it was too late to return them now. She'd just have to deal with it. And Mike was beating her.

He glanced behind him, his face slick with sweat. "You're extra slow today."

"Shut up," she grunted, irritated. Today might be the day she lost to him. They'd been racing for days now, and each morning she was more and more determined not to let him win. "I'm still going to – ahh!"

She was abruptly cut off by a tree trunk that had been there for ages. Every morning, they jumped it, and she didn't have a problem with it. Except, this morning, her shoes were too big, and the toe of her running shoe scraped against the rough wood, catching her foot. She jerked forward, her ankle twisting painfully, landing on the ground with a thud.

She winced, hissing under her breath, "Jesus. Jesus Christ. _Jesus_."

Her ankle throbbed agonizingly, and she wrapped her hands around it, putting a little pressure on it. Testing it. She hissed again, drawing in a gulp of air. She looked up, sure that Mike would take advantage of her fallen state to keep running, and gain a good lead. And eventually beat her, forcing her off the track.

But when she looked up, Mike was looking back at her, frowning as he slowed. He walked back over to her, his face red from the heat and exercise. "What's wrong?"

Was that…genuine concern? No. It couldn't be. He didn't care about her at all. He was rude and obnoxious to her, so he wouldn't care if she was hurt.

But damn, it looked real. And damn, she almost wanted it to be real. She mentally scolded herself for being so ridiculous. But maybe that was because he didn't know she was hurt yet. And she didn't want him to know. She'd be fine in just a second, and he wouldn't even have to know.

Nora shook her head dismissively, "It's nothing. No big deal."

She tried to stand. That was a mistake. She cried out, collapsing back down to her spot on the ground. How embarrassing. Now he definitely knew she was hurt. She was preparing herself for his teasing and laughter, for him to turn around and win the race, and claim the route, when he knelt down in front of her, his fingers reaching for her ankle.

"What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Is this the sore one?" He asked, pulling her right ankle towards him.

She watched his hands; his warm fingers prod at the now-swollen skin, inspecting it, completely focused on her ankle, no trace of amusement on his face. She bit her lip. He pulled off her shoe, rotating her ankle around.

"Whoa," she said, trying to pull her foot away from him. She didn't want him smelling her feet. They had to smell, enclosed in a shoe while she ran and got sweaty, but he didn't say anything. "What are you doing?"

He rotated it a certain way and she whistled in a breath, her teeth snapping shut as pain shot up her leg. "You've sprained it."

"Fantastic," she grumbled. He stood up and she glared at him. "Go on, then. Run. Beat me. Take the stupid track, I don't even want it."

"Liar," he grinned, folding his arms as he looked down at her. Now, there was the amused light in his eyes.

She lifted her chin, ignoring his comment, "Actually, you only need to walk, and you'll beat me back. Go on."

This was embarrassing. Now, one of the agents was going to have to carry her back to her dorm. She really hoped no one saw. Then again, she was glad she didn't have to hop, or drag herself back. It was times like these when she was glad to have someone else constantly with her.

Mike sighed, reaching down for her, "Come on."

She leant back, away from his arms. No way. No way was she letting him _carry_ her, for Christ sakes! She'd walk before she let that happen.

"I'm fine. I can walk myself." She grabbed the tree trunk, pulling herself up and onto it. She could do this. She could. Mind over matter. It didn't really hurt. Not really. She stood and promptly fell back down. She tried again, glaring at Mike when she saw him suppressing a grin.

"Obviously, you can't," he said.

"Yes. I can," she said obstinately. She refused to let him carry her. She tried standing again. She only ended up sending bolts of pain up her leg.

"Stop being so stubborn for once, and just let me help. It's not going to kill you."

"I beg to differ," she replied snarkily.

He rolled his eyes, "So dramatic."

And before she could stop him, his arms swooped down and picked her up, bridal style. He held her against his chest, warmth radiating from his sweaty body. She swallowed, eyeing the thin sheen covering his exposed neck that was now at her eye level.

He started walking forward, heading back to their starting point, outside the park.

She squirmed, "Put me down!"

"Is that a command, _your highness_?" He grinned down at her, his hands only gripping her tighter.

"No! Yes! Ugh, just put me down!" She snapped, growing frustrated with his antics. She continued to squirm, trying to make it as difficult as possible for him. She wanted to make him want to put her down and leave her there.

"If you're not careful," He said lightly, warningly. "I'll throw you over my shoulder so your face is near my butt. And imagine what those reporters would write if they got a hold of a picture of _that_."

She froze, believing his threat instantly. Oh, that wasn't fair. He knew how to get at her, but she didn't know how to get at him. Her jaw clenched and she folded her arms. "Fine. Just fine. Be difficult."

Annoyingly, she was actually quite comfortable in his arms. But as if she'd tell him that. She was unnervingly close to his body; she hadn't been this close since she fell on him on their first run. One arm was wrapped under her bent knees, and the other was under her back, where his hand came around to her stomach, his fingers splaying across the material of her shirt right under her breasts. She didn't know if it was purposeful where his hand was, or if it just happened that way. Either way, she didn't want to call attention to it, and for him to make some smug remark about how she'd like it if he moved his hand just a little higher.

She took in a deep breath, to let loose a dramatic sigh that would let him know exactly how she felt about this situation and his warning, when she realized she was close enough to smell him. His scent surrounded her, and she hadn't paid attention to it until then. He smelled like sweat, and under that, very faint, was the deodorant he used. It actually smelled good. Masculine and heady and delicious.

And Nora remembered reading an article about pheromones. Androstenol was the scent produced by fresh male sweat, which was attractive to females. Androstenone was the scent produced by male sweat after exposure to oxygen, so it was less fresh, and it was not attractive to females. And she could smell all of it. The fresh sweat mostly overwhelmed the older sweat, but it mixed together with the earthy scent of his deodorant to make a very nice blend that Nora now associated with him. Nora wondered if he knew he smelled good.

And she was thinking about this because…? That's right. There was no reason to, what did she care if he smelled deliriously good? She didn't. But just to make sure, she wanted to be certain she wouldn't blurt it out and embarrass herself. So, instead, she said, "You stink."

He snorted, "You don't exactly smell like a whole lot of lavender, either."

She froze. Lavender…that was what she used. She used fragrances with lavender in them, because she loved the smell of it. Why would he specifically say lavender, why not just generally 'you don't smell so good, either'? Did he know what she usually smelt like?

Whoa. Hold up. She was getting carried away here. Both literally and metaphorically. But that was beside the point; she was reading way too much into his comment. Maybe he just liked lavender too, and it was a coincident. She looked up at him, narrowing her eyes and tilting her head to the side.

He glanced down at her and sighed, "What? What now? You've got that suspicious look on your face again. What are you thinking?"

She shook her head, grumbling, "I like lavender too."

He nodded, "I know."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Wow, stalker much? So I was right from the beginning; you are following me."

He rolled his eyes, "Why don't you climb down that high pedestal you've put yourself on? The other day, in the Coffee Shop, the air conditioner was blowing it right at me, so of course I smelled it."

"Oh."

_See?_ She snapped at herself. _Perfectly reasonable explanation._

She had to stop being so suspicious. Mike may not necessarily like her, but that didn't mean she couldn't trust him. Carrying her was a pretty obvious sign that she could. Even if she felt that there was something about Mike he didn't want her to know. Which was ridiculous. He just seemed a little guarded sometimes. She'd say something and he wouldn't respond, and she didn't know why. Or it would take him longer to reply, like he was very carefully composing his response. He was an enigma.

He lifted her up higher to get a better grip on her, jostling her, and knocking her out of her musings. She grinned up at him, "Getting heavy yet?" She looked at him hopefully, "Do you need to put me down?"

"No," he said easily. He wasn't panting from running anymore, and his breathing wasn't short and hurried. He looked completely at ease, carrying her weight as easily as he would a feather. Which was just ridiculous. He grinned at her, "You looked deep in thought. So I wanted to disturb you."

"You're such a jerk."

"Hey," he teasingly admonished. "This jerk is carrying you."

"I certainly didn't _ask_ you to – hang on a second. Where are we going?" She asked quickly. They'd finally made it out of the trees, but instead of going left, in the direction of her dorm, they were going right, in the direction Mike usually came from.

"The health services center of this college," he said, like it was obvious. "Or did you forget that you sprained your ankle? Kind of the reason I'm carrying you," he pointed out.

She sighed, "I know. I just thought I could _not_ go to see a doctor."

"You need someone to take a look at it," he said.

"_You_ did," Nora said hopefully.

"A doctor needs to take a look at it," he said firmly. Then he grinned slyly, "Are you afraid of doctors?"

"Of course not," she said snootily, lifting her chin and looking away. It was early morning, so there weren't many people around at all. The ones who were, stared. Of course. But Nora looked around at her surroundings rather than look up at Mike. "They just…put me on edge."

"They put you on edge," he repeated slowly, grinning down at her like she'd given him a lollipop and he had a serious sweet tooth. "So, in other words; you're afraid of them."

He laughed, and she jabbed her elbow into his sternum. He let out a mumbled 'oof', and promptly stopped laughing. "Huh. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier."

"I will leave you here," he warned, gesturing with his head at the dirty cement walkway.

"I wish you would," Nora replied, looking up at him and waiting expectantly.

They glared at each other.

"You know what?" He asked rhetorically. "I feel like going for a little stroll. Through the middle of the campus and then around to the health services building. What do you think?"

She continued to glare, "You wouldn't."

Damnit, he knew how to get to her. She didn't want him to be carrying her, and she certainly didn't want people to see it. She didn't want people to photograph it. She didn't want people to report about it in the paper. She just wanted to see a god damn doctor so she could get back to her dorm room.

He raised his eyebrows, "I would."

"_Fine_," Nora snapped. "Fine. I'll be good."

"Great."

She hated his smug grin.

He carried her all the way to the building, placed her down on a chair in the waiting room, then went to speak to a nurse behind the front reception desk. She immediately folded her arms across her chest in irritation. She didn't need his help. She could do it herself.

But…she appreciated it. Which was what was really bugging her. She didn't want to like the way he'd put her down gently, so she wouldn't fall off the chair, or hurt herself. She didn't want to like the way he just did it, either. Or the way he just went to speak to the nurse for her. And she didn't want to have to owe Mike anything.

He finished speaking to the nurse, and went over to sit next to Nora, "A doctor will see you soon."

"Thanks," she said, begrudgingly.

He rolled his eyes, "You're welcome."

He leant back in the chair, folding his arms and trying to get comfortable despite the chairs being made of plastic, hard, and with no cushioning. She frowned at him. He could go now. He didn't have to stick around. He didn't have to be here.

But he settled in, looking ready to wait as long as it took.

She continued to frown. She was curious how long he'd stick it out before he got bored or irritated with her. Less than ten minutes later, the nurse walked around to them to get their attention so they could follow her into the right room. "Doctor Penn will see you now."

Mike stood, and scooped Nora up before she could even think about how she was going to get to the room. He didn't say anything as he carried her in, and she mumbled, "Thank you."

She could've sworn she saw the nurse make an 'awww' face at Mike as he went into the doctors room. So now there was a nurse in love with him.

She frowned, because she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

**So… What did you think?**

**I'm having too much fun making them dance around each other, but don't worry. Nora will realize she loves him soon enough!**

**Anywho, guess what?! I'm leaving for a holiday to Vanuatu tomorrow! I'm so excited, but unfortunately for you guys enjoying this, it means it'll be a while until I update! Sorry!**

**Replies:**

**NGArmyWife: **Well, I'm glad you liked it, and hopefully it made your day a little better! :) No problem about the FYI – I was beginning to wonder if anyone was beginning to wonder! Aw, thank you so much! Of course – Scarlett and Rhett had to be on the list! Oh, I'd definitely see that if Gerard Butler played Rhett! It would most definitely be wonderful! Wow, thank you so much! I'm really, really pleased you thought my descriptions about love and marriage and all that were a good grip on reality! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you think the chapters keep getting better, and that you think I'm talented! That's super sweet of you! I really enjoy reading your reviews, so I'm really happy you keep leaving them for me! :)

**Mascota: **Have I told you lately how much I love getting your reviews? Because I do. Seriously, you're a major ego boost! I'm really, really glad you like my characters so much! Thank you so much! I love that you think my style of writing is wonderful! I honestly don't know! Haha, I know very little about love, so I guess in a away a lot of it is both dreams, and me puzzling it out in my head! Yes, it can be difficult when I'm studying, because all I want to do is write! It's so annoying! I just finished up university for the semester so I'm free now until February! Plenty of time to write more of this!

**Guest: **Thank you sooooo much! I'm really, really pleased you enjoyed it then! And I'm especially pleased you seem to want to read more of Nora and Mike! Thank you so much for leaving a review for me! It means so much to me, and it's really great to know that there are people interested in reading more of this! Because I really want to write more of it! Thanks again :)

**Koryandrs: **Gosh, you must hate me then! I never have all that much action in any of my chapters! I know, the movie was fantastic on that front, but this is set about two years before the movie, so it'll be a little while yet still! Hopefully you won't get too bored while you're waiting for that! Thanks for reviewing again!

**Dreamsb223: **Thank you so much! I'm so, super stoked you love my story so far! And I'm even more pleased you seem to want to read more! It's such a compliment to know people are interested in reading more! Thank you so much for reviewing this for me! It means a lot to me! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! I know not much is really happening, but I'm focusing more on Mike and Nora's relationship more than anything else at the moment, and I hope you like it!

**PureAngelEyes: **Thank you! I'm glad you think my story is interesting so far, and that you enjoyed reading what you have! That's really great to know that you haven't gotten bored because not much action-wise is happening! At the moment, I'm really trying to focus on Mike and Nora's relationship, and the evolving facets of it. So, I'm so glad you like it so far and seem interested in reading more! Thanks so much for reviewing this for me, and I really hope you liked this chapter! :)

**LostGirl42311: **Thank you so much! I'm really glad you are loving my story so far! I'm really pleased! Wow, that is so amazing! It' s so cool to hear stuff like that; that you hated him at first, but then you ended up together! It's so amazing the way things work out! And I love that you can relate to this in that way then! I'm so stoked you seem to want to read more, so I really hope you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for leaving me such a nice review! It means a lot to me! :)


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